Portrush's main attraction is the beautiful sandy East Strand beach that stretches for 3km to the east of town, ending at the scenic chalk cliffs of Whiterocks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Dunluce Castle

2.65 MILES

This medieval castle ruin is perched on top of a dramatic cliffside overlooking the glorious Causeway Coast.

2. Portstewart Strand

3.96 MILES

The broad, 2.5km beach of Portstewart Strand is a 20-minute walk south of the centre along a coastal path, or a short bus ride along Strand Rd. Parking is…

3. Old Bushmills Distillery

4.95 MILES

Bushmills is the world's oldest licensed distillery, having been given permission to produce whiskey by King James I in 1608. The whiskey is made with…

4. Giant's Causeway Visitor Experience

5.47 MILES

Built into the hillside and walled with tall black basalt slabs that mimic the basalt columns of the Causeway, the Giant's Causeway Visitor Experience…

5. Giant’s Causeway

5.57 MILES

This spectacular rock formation – Northern Ireland's only Unesco World Heritage site – is one of Ireland's most impressive and atmospheric landscape…

6. Mountsandel Fort

6.14 MILES

Just 1.5km south of Coleraine town centre, on the east bank of the river, Mountsandel Fort is a massive and mysterious earthwork that may have been an…

7. Downhill Demesne

7.21 MILES

In 1774, the bishop of Derry (fourth earl of Bristol, Frederick Augustus Hervey), built a palatial home amid a 160-hectare demesne. The house burnt down…

8. Dark Hedges

11.43 MILES

Planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century as the formal entrance to their property, these shadowy, gnarled, entwined beech trees are now among…